Secondhand smoke
How to protect yourself, your rights under the law, and the risks associated with secondhand smoke.
Protect yourself
The Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act requires most indoor workplaces and public places to be smoke- and vapor-free.
Smoke and vapor-free spaces included in the Colorarado Clean Indoor Act include:
- restaurants
- bars
- casinos
- indoor sports arenas and auditoriums
- health care facilities
- child day care facilities
- entryways of any covered facilities
- Report a Smoking or Vaping Violation. (Google Form)
- Violations include:
- A restaurant, office, or other public establishment where staff are violating or failing to enforce a smoke-free or vape-free policy.
- A complaint or concern about secondhand smoke in a public multi-unit housing facility, like an apartment building.
- Violations include:
- Report a Tobacco Sales Violation. (Google Form)
- Violations include:
- Selling tobacco or nicotine products to anyone younger than 21 years old.
- Selling tobacco or nicotine products without a license.
- Violations include:
- Smoke-free housing. (Smoke-free housing website)
- Smoke-free housing. (Tobacco Free CO website)
Smoke-free multifamily housing
- Toolkits. (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development website)
Multi-family property
- Support for making your multifamily property smoke-free. (City of Denver website)
Resources for education and prevention
- The Community Guide is a free resource to help you choose programs and policies to improve health and prevent disease in your community.
- On January 11, 1964, the Surgeon General of the United States released Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee of the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service. This was the first in the series that is now generally referred to as the Surgeon General’s reports. Surgeon General tobacco-related reports on include:
- 2020—Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General. (CDC website)
- 2016—E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. (CDC website)
- 2014—The Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress. (CDC Archive website)
- On April 22, 2020, Professor Georg Matt, from San Diego State University, presented a new study on addressing thirdhand tobacco smoke in the ambient environment in affordable housing, to the Healthy Housing Coalition.
- The Tobacco Free CO website includes resources on how to quit smoking, when and how to report a violation, resources on indoor smoking laws, and how to get involved.
- Spanish resources are available at ColoradoSinTabaco.